CLOSEST INTIMACY
Opening Prayer
I praise you, God, that You know me so deeply and intimately. You know me even better than I know myself.
Read Luke 20:27–40
The Resurrection and Marriage
27 Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. 28 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. 30 The second 31 and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. 32 Finally, the woman died too. 33 Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”
34 Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, 36 and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection. 37 But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’[a] 38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”
39 Some of the teachers of the law responded, “Well said, teacher!” 40 And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Footnotes:
a Luke 20:37 Exodus 3:6
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Think about those closest to you. Now try to imagine the richest, deepest, most caring, most intimate relationship possible.Another attempt to trip Jesus up! The attack comes from the Sadducees, a liberal group of Jews in first-century Judaism who didn’t believe in resurrection (27) – so it’s a loaded question. They try to trick Jesus by asking him about an old marriage law (Deuteronomy 25:5) which gave widows a degree of protection from hardship by marrying their deceased husband’s brother. Jesus’ answer focuses on the resurrection.
Marriage is for this age (34). In the age to come the closest intimacy believers will experience is with God rather than other people (36b)! There will be no need for human marriage. All our needs will be met in God, including companionship of the closest and most fulfilling kind.
Despite what the Sadducees may have thought, resurrection was no new idea. Jesus points them back to Moses and the burning bush (37). God is the God of the living – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are all alive. As for marriage in the future, we can look forward to the metaphorical marriage of all believers with Jesus. We, the church, are the bride of Christ (Revelation 19:7)!
Apply
The things that God is preparing for us are beyond all imagining (1 Corinthians 2:9). Do you believe that today? What must God think of you to give you everything He has as your inheritance?
Closing prayer
Thank You, God, for choosing me. Draw me closer to You.
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